Easter Chocolate Cupcakes

These Chocolate Cupcakes are my go to whether it’s Easter or not. Such a delicious cupcake that tastes especially good with a slick of chocolate icing and some Mini Eggs. Easter baking that’s fun and super simple for the kids. Plus there’s always a few extra Mini Eggs going spare…..or maybe 1/2 a packet.

I love a bit of baking and now my children are asking to get in on the act, I can’t help but be even more enthusiastic about the whole thing. I had a grand time baking these Easter Cupcakes and so did my children. There was much licking of fingers and smeared chocolatey faces. A bit gross I know…but we weren’t sharing.

I even let everyone have them for breakfast the next day. Even more eyebrow lifting.

A lot of the time at the moment, I find all this feeding everybody a right pain in the wotsit. Having been a winger in the meal planning department I am finding it quite a wrench to be all kinds of organised. But organised we must be I knows.

So it felt rather good to be able to conjure up a breakfast without me rising to an oaty or toasty occasion….here have a chocolate muffin….sort of.

Easter Chocolate Cupcakes Recipe

This is a stupendous chocolate cupcake in it’s own right. Darkly and most certainly, damply chocolatey it is always a reliable baker and can turn it’s springy crumb to all occasions.

It is this recipe that I use for my Chocolate Fondant Cupcakes too. I have made the chocolate icing differently though with the icing from my Easy Chocolate Cake recipe. It is more chocolatey than a standard butter cream chocolate icing. My children much prefer it and I think I do too. If you can’t find the enthusiasm, something I know a lot about, then just use shop bought icing.

The ingredients for this recipe are :

CUPCAKES

Cocoa – I use the darkest cocoa I can buy as it gives a more chocolatey flavour.

Flour – Plain flour with 2 tsp of baking powder

Sugar – I use caster sugar usually unrefined but any will do.

Baking Spread – As I do a lot of baking I use baking spread to keep the cost down. You can use butter too.

Eggs – Large

Milk – I use semi skimmed as that is what I always have in my fridge. Full fat milk is fine too.

Salt – Pinch of salt just to bring out the flavours. Optional

Milk Chocolate – I use the best I can afford and I like to cut up an actual bar to keep the chocolate chunky but it is fine to use chocolate chips.

ICING

Sour Cream – Used in the icing. You could use cream cheese too but there will be more a cheesy twang.

Icing Sugar – Standard Icing Sugar

Chocolate – Dark and Milk. I use the most quality cooking chocolate I can afford. The Dark Chocolate needs to be 70% or more cocoa solids.

Mini Eggs – I use the Cadbury Mini Eggs but you could top with anything you like.

It is a pourable batter very much like my Chocolate Loaf Cake. It is the amount of liquid in there that gives it such an incredible light but moist crumb baby.

How To Make Easter Chocolate Cupcakes

I get the ingredients ready for the cupcakes before I begin. Especially if the children are helping me. I can’t be doing with the kids measuring it all out too unless I’ve hit the Malibu. It would take a week and all of my patience.

Using a hand held electric whisk or free standing mixer mix the flour, cocoa, butter, sugar and salt on a slow speed until it is a sandy rubble and no lumps of butter are present.

It takes about a minute.

Sandy Rubble

Measure out the milk in a jug and then add the eggs and mix well. Still on slow speed pour 3/4 of the wet ingredients into the bowl until well incorporated. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the liquid before turning up the speed to medium until the mixture is a smooth batter.

I put the batter into a jug to make it much easier to fill the paper cases about 2/3 full.

Ready For Pouring

Pour into the paper cases until 3/4 full. I then scatter some of the chocolate chunks that I have coated in 1 tbsp of flour to help prevent them from sinking in the batter.

Ready For The Oven

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until springy to the touch. Remove from the muffin tray and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

Whilst cooling begin the icing. I simply put all the ingredients into a medium sized bowl.

Chocolate Icing Ingredients

Whisk until smooth

Chocolate Icing

Once the cupcakes are cool I simply slick onto the cupcakes with a thin spatula and top with 3 mini eggs each.

Equipment Required

Oven Thermometer- optional but recommended as your oven often tells real porky pies about how hot or not your oven really is.

Free Standing Mixer or Large Bowl and electric Hand Held Whisk or Wooden Spoon.

Digital Scales

Large Measuring Jug

Large Paper Cases

12 hole Muffin Tray

Wire Rack

Thin Spatula for icing

Medium Mixing Bowl and Whisk for icing

Tsp & Tbsp Measures

Easter Chocolate Cupcake Tips

Use an independent Oven Thermometer

Use a jug to pour the batter into the cupcake paper cases. You want the larger paper cases.

Only fill 3/4 of the way up

Store in an air tight container. Remove mini eggs if storing overnight as the shells may go soft left on the icing overnight.

Instructions

Using a hand held electric whisk, wooden spoon or free standing mixer mix the 200 grams flour, 2 tsps baking powder, 40 grams cocoa, 80 grams butter, 280 grams sugar and pinch of salt on a slow speed until it is a sandy rubble and no lumps of butter are present.

Measure out the 240 mls of milk in a jug and then add the 2 eggs and mix well. if doing this by hand then switch to a whisk. Still on slow speed pour 3/4 of the wet ingredients into the bowl until well incorporated. Then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the rest of the liquid before turning up the speed to medium until the mixture is a smooth batter.

I put the batter into a jug to make it much easier to fill the paper cases about ¾ full. Scatter on a few chocolate chips/chunks in each cupcake.

Bake for 18-20 minutes or until springy to the touch.Remove from the muffin tray and leave on a wire rack to cool completely.

Place the 200 grams of icing sugar, 50 grams of melted dark and 25 grams of milk chocolate, 1 tbsp of golden syrup and 75 mls of sour cream in a medium sized mixing bowl and whisk until smooth.

Slick onto the cupcakes once cool and top with mini eggs.

Apply To Chocolatey Grin.

Recipe Notes

Use an independent Oven Thermometer

Use a jug to pour the batter into the cupcake paper cases. You want the larger paper cases.

Only fill 3/4 of the way up

Store in an air tight container. Remove mini eggs if storing overnight as the shells may go soft left on the icing overnight.